


it's a team effort

by skyblxssom



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Feel-good, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-18 08:30:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21891202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyblxssom/pseuds/skyblxssom
Summary: Kabu didn't expect his simple training day to turn out like this. It's fine though; he's adaptable like that.(Alternatively: future local dad receives help from his present-future children)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 120





	it's a team effort

**Author's Note:**

> Another piece inspired by headcanons from mottostoke-stadium @ tumblr! I just love me my good fire dad and his friendship with Milo and Nessa. 
> 
> I pretend like I know what I'm writing but really, it's just smashing together headcanons and hopes it makes sense. Will my fics have some level of continuity with one another? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> I wrote this entire thing on mobile (which is why I can't add custom tags) at 3 AM so apologies if there are mistakes I'm too tired to fix them hhhhhhHHHHHHH
> 
> Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy!

Kabu always believed that no matter what life threw at him, he would always prevail in the end due to his determination and grit. He loved facing challenges for he saw them as an opportunity to grow into his very best. Though, just a week into his move to the Galar region, the young man hit an obstacle he can't easily overcome. 

Galar, as he came to find out, was  _ huge.  _

Hoenn was not a small region by any means but being surrounded by the sea made it feel like it was one huge island. Over here, land stretched as far as the eye can see between towns and cities that the locals refer to as the Wild Area. 

That too was something that Kabu learnt to be cautious of. Wild Pokemon in Hoenn's grassy field couldn't hold a candle to the aggressiveness displayed by Galar's roaming 'mons. Getting chased by a number of Croagunk before he could even take out his Torkoal hammered home the importance of preparation. Apparently Pokemon Trainers could spend days out in the wilderness since camping seemed to be a favored activity here. Kabu just didn't stand a chance in his eagerness to explore the area as soon as he landed. 

After he took the time to properly settle into his simple apartment in Motostoke's residential area, Kabu quickly discovered the sheer size of Galar through a map he bought at the local grocery store. Not only that, different areas could have weather patterns as unpredictable as the move Metronome. 

The generally cooler climate was already something that he had difficulty adjusting to. Kabu didn't even want to think about places like Circhester that had snow almost all year round, let alone its surrounding Wild Area. 

Thus, Kabu hasn't ventured far from Motostoke just yet. He could easily get lost if he didn't have a clear picture of his destination. Not to mention, he wasn't exactly swimming in cash after his big move. Most of his expenses went to bills and other necessities so he couldn't splurge on camping gear right now. 

While a bit bummed out that he couldn't explore the region just yet, Kabu could reel in his fiery passion to make way for common sense. Galar was his new home now. There would be plenty of chances for him to learn about its lands, history and culture in the future, after all. 

That being said, he was slowly making his way down routes that connected to Motostoke. Route 3 had been incorporated into his jogging route as well as being a great spot to train his Torkoal. There were plenty of wild Pokemon that he felt weren't as aggressive, though a horde could still chase after him if he wandered too close. 

Today was one of those days where he had Torkoal battle against the Chewtle found within the grassy field. Kabu believed that to get stronger in body and mind, pitting his Pokemon against Water-types would help achieve that. His battle style had always been pretty straightforward, so Torkoal just had to burn hotter than the water that can extinguish it. For that reason, he'd been experimenting with Sunny Day to add that extra firepower to Torkoal's moves. Weakening Water-type moves simply added incentive into incorporating it into his partner's move set.

Kabu was unaware that he had an audience during the training session. He had Torkoal do a Rapid Spin to drive the Chewtle out into the open field, then fire off a Sunny Day before he heard a pair of gasps from behind. Against his better judgement, he looked away from his opponent to find out the source. 

With a hand shielding his eyes from the intense rays, Kabu spotted a couple of kids standing roughly 15 feet away. A boy and a girl, from the looks of it. Before he could instruct them to move further back, the girl pointed at his Torkoal. 

"Look out! The Chewtle is gonna use Bite!"

The warning had Kabu snapping back to the battle at hand. Just as she said, the small turtle came up to his Torkoal with its mouth open, ready to chomp on soft flesh. 

"Torkoal, shift sideways and have your shell facing it! Then use Lava Plume!" Kabu quickly ordered. 

While he couldn't move fast enough, the Chewtle bit down on hard shell more than Torkoal's body. After it reeled back from the unexpected resistance, Torkoal released a wave of scarlet flames that washed over his opponent. Boosted by the Sunny Day, the Fire-type move still had enough power to knock out the Chewtle. 

As the harsh rays dissipated, Kabu was met with a round of applause from the kids. Now he could properly make out features. The fair looking boy had fluffy peach hair, wearing a simple white T-shirt that had a leaf printed on it and green shorts. The girl, on the other hand, had darker skin with medium length black hair that had streaks of blue. She too wore a similar outfit, though hers had a water droplet and in blue shades. They didn't look older than ten years old. 

"Woah… that's so cool! Mister, how did your Pokemon made that huge flame?" 

"Of course it's cause he made the sun brighter. Water-types don't like loads of sunshine."

"Huh! My Gossifleur loves being out in the sun!"

Kabu felt mildly impressed that he could hear the eyeroll in her tone. "Duh. Plants need sunshine to grow. Water dries up after some time. Don't tell me you don't know this?"

Sensing a potential argument brewing, Kabu decided to step in before any tears were shed. He coughed once to grab their attention. "How long have you two been standing there?"

"Since you took out your Pokemon, mister!" The boy answered first. 

"We haven't seen that Pokemon before and wanted to know what it was." Unlike her friend, she seemed a bit more hesitant. 

Kabu crouched down till he was eye level with them, sporting a somewhat serious look. "Well, I'm happy that you were interested in my Pokemon but you shouldn't stand behind someone in an active battle. It could become a distraction like how I was, and a stray Pokemon attack could hit you since I wasn't aware there were people around me."

"W-We're sorry…"

Once they looked properly chastised, Kabu fixed his expression into something kinder, lips curled in a warm smile. "So long as you two understand, it's fine. Would you two like to meet my partner properly?"

The boy perked up, his crestfallen look morphing into something cautiously excited. "Really?"

"Really." Kabu called his Torkoal to come closer, giving him a quick check for any injuries. Aside from some scratches on his shell, Torkoal was perfectly fine. The fire tortoise blew out some smoke from his shell, making a sound similar to a locomotive horn. Kabu chuckled at their startled reaction.

"Torkoal is saying hi. He's happy that he didn't get hurt, thanks to your warning." He turned to the girl. "You have a keen eye that you can tell what sort of move it was going to use."

"That's cause I have my own Chewtle!" She announced proudly, her wariness dissipating in the face of excitement. "They learn Bite pretty early on, and when they evolve to a Drednaw, their huge jaws can bite through anything!"

"I see. I'm glad that my Torkoal managed to avoid that nasty bite then." Kabu made it sound like his Pokemon truly dodged a bullet, what with his tone and sage like nods. Torkoal took that as his cue to approach the kids. He gently butted his head against the boy's outstretched hand. 

"Oh! He feels warm! You have to try it Ness!"

With his encouragement, she too extended her palm towards Torkoal. Kabu took delight in their awed expressions.

"Torkoal is a Fire-type commonly found in the Hoenn region. They can be quite warm, though don't touch the holes on their shell if it's cherry red. It can burn your skin."

The boy tilted his head. "So you're not around here mister?"

He nodded. "That's correct. I just moved to Galar a couple of weeks ago." Sporting a warm smile, he introduced himself. "You can call me Mister Kabu, if you'd like."

He received a toothy smile back. "Nice to meet'cha Mister Kabu! My name's Milo and this is Nessa!" 

"Mmm, like he said. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Milo and Nessa." Somehow, their names seemed to fit them. Kabu stood back up, dusting off his shorts before planting a hand on his hip. "What were you two doing out here?"

From there, he got to learn that the pair were from Turffield and Hulbury respectively. They liked to visit one another before going off to explore the surrounding areas. When he asked about their safety travelling around, Kabu got to meet Milo's Gossifleur and Nessa's Chewtle, who she swore was close to evolving. That helped ease the instinctive worry towards the two kids and reaffirm his belief that Galar's Pokemon trainers were made of different stuff.

Kabu ended up sharing a little bit about himself. An invitation to come and compete in Galar's Pokemon League had him make the move from a place called Lavaridge Town. Torkoal was a close partner alongside a Ninetails and an Arcanine that he left at the Pokemon Center for a health check up. He hadn't explored the region yet due to how large it was, which prompted the kids to tell him all about the wonderful stuff he can see in their hometowns and that he should totally visit them. On top of that, he had a fondness for Fire-types, professing that he loved raising Pokemon with that typing. 

"If you love Fire-types Mister Kabu, how about capturing a Sizzlipede?" Milo suggested, his Gossifleur resting on his lap. To his right, Nessa idly kept her Chewtle distracted by having him munch on a stick. 

"A Sizzlipede? I have heard about them, though I'm unsure where I might find one."

Nessa suddenly got to her feet, dropping the stick while her hands rested on her hips. "You're in luck! I heard that you can find one here in this route! It's a little tricky to find them but I'm sure with me and Milo helping you, we'll find them!"

Kabu didn't imagine that his day would end up with him meeting two kids who were eager to help him catch a Pokemon but he was adaptable like that. When Nessa instructed him to join in on the belly crawl into a patch of grass, he had Torkoal on standby before laying down to join them. 

It probably made for an odd sight, seeing a thirty something year old man wriggling in the grass alongside two kids. He didn't care what others might think. These kids were sincere in their efforts to help him capture a new Pokemon, and he won't let anything stop them from having fun in the process. 

Unaware that a Sizzlipede's encounter rate was quite low, Kabu simply followed whatever order that Nessa gave them. Milo looked happy to help in anyway with his Gossifleur, whose main task was to blend in with the grass and alert them if he spotted their target. Maybe luck shone down on the trio since after about half an hour of getting their clothes dirty, they found the elusive Pokemon. 

Kabu admitted that the look of the Pokemon alone appealed to him. Now, he was by no means a rookie when it came to Pokemon battles and captures. Though, he couldn't exactly refuse Milo and Nessa's desire to help 'teach' him in the art of capturing new 'mons. Privately, he felt that shooting him with a double dose of bright, expectant eyes had been a little unfair. Only someone who kicked Skitty for fun and eat babies for breakfast would be heartless enough to deny them. 

Thus, Kabu acted like it was his very first time seeing a Pokemon battle. Milo and Nessa had their partners working together. Gossifleur released Sweet Scent to distract the Fire-type while Chewtle kept up the offense with Water Gun. It was endearing to see the kids shouting off commands like this was a life or death battle. Goes to show just how seriously they took in getting him a new partner. 

"I think it's weak now! Mister Kabu, throw a Pokeball quickly!" Milo urged, his little fists clenched. 

"Yeah! I can't have Chewtle attack anymore!" Nessa turned around, her face reflecting the urgency of this situation. 

Kabu swallowed down the urge to smile, sporting a solemn look instead. To show his gratitude for their help, he went straight for an Ultra Ball. With his leg raised, Kabu swung his arm to throw the ball straight at the weakened Sizzlipede. It sucked the Pokemon right up in a flash of red light. 

The ball shook once. Twice. Three times. 

Click. 

For a moment, nobody moved as if entranced by the capture. Milo broke the silence first by whooping loudly. "Yeah! You did it Mister Kabu! You got yourself a Sizzlipede!"

Nessa tried to act compose but she couldn't quite keep the wide beam off her lips. "Of course he would when he had us helping him!" She bent down to pick up her tired Chewtle. That prompted Milo to scoop up his own Gossifleur.

Kabu went to pick up the Ultra Ball. Huh. It still took a bit to kick in that he actually had a new Pokemon now. He got swept up in their excitement, only to walk away as the proud owner of a local Fire-type. When the reality of the situation finally sunk in, Kabu found himself huffing out a loud laugh.

"I really do have a new partner now, huh?" he murmured. Kabu pocketed the Ultra Ball before turning to the pair. He couldn't resist giving them gentle head pats. 

"Thank you so much. I promise that I'll look after Sizzlipede and raise him properly." 

Milo beamed under the praise while Nessa looked quietly pleased. He gave their tired Pokemon a look. "How about we head back to Motostoke? Gossifleur, Chewtle and Sizzlipede could use some healing. Afterwards, I think some celebrations are in order. What do you think about ice-cream…"

It was only after he was back in his bedroom that night, laying on the bed with Sizzlipede dozing on his stomach that technically, the first friends he made in this new region was a couple of kids. Kabu contemplated on that thought for about three seconds before deciding that it didn't matter. 

They had a training session planned together next weekend. Milo promised to bring some fresh produce from his farm for him to try out, and Nessa promised to show him a special training spot that he can use. He loved the idea of having the kids be a part of Sizzlipede's growth. It was a team effort, after all. 

Kabu might be staring at this obstacle ever since he started to live in this new, unknown region but somehow it felt easier to conquer now. 

**Author's Note:**

> Kabu has BDE (Big Dad Energy) he doesn't know he's a Dad yet but his inner dad instincts jump out to look after these kids. Sometime in the future, he's gonna have heart palpitations when Milo and Nessa call him Dad. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
